Millions of Beaches, Beaches for free. She Beats psych rockers are AMPed to be SHORTLISTED Source: HeraldSun

All the latest in Australia's indie music scene with a Melbourne-centric, coffee-flavoured scent

Tools are down. Votes are in. Fighting has ceased. Industry judges have come up with nine Shortlisted albums for the Coopers 2013 Australian Music Prize. Four have been announced already and lo and behold they’ll all be playing short and sweet sets at Shortlisted! a free concert this Sunday evening at The 'Bowl you will attend.

Ladies and gentlemen, the nominees are [opens email attachment like an envelope, clears throat, winks at Jack Nicholson] Kirin J Callinan for Embracism, Jen Cloher for In Blood Memory, Dialectrix for The Cold Light of Day and Beaches for She Beats. Who else is nominated? Not telling. You’ll find out on Australia Day, salivating reader.
Last year’s winners Hermitude will headline the event and your hosts will be the effervescent Ella Hooper and Tim “Urthboy” Levinson. Hints: Four and Twenty, Baggy innit, Gymnasium, Skyhooks and Phonerific.

Back to the beach though, She Beats is a “denser, darker, more layered album, sonically, than the first one”, says Antonia Sellbach, one guitarist (out of three!) of the autonomous frock ’n’ roll band (sorry). “We heard in December that we were Longlisted and when kudos comes your way for something you’ve already done it’s really refreshing. We were nominated and made the Shortlist in 2008 for our debut (self-titled) album,” she reminds. The news came through last week that from the 43 records, She Beats made the cut. The ensuing phone calls within the band went like “Holy f--king s---! It couldn’t be us! Us? Are you sure? It’s got to be another band!” Sellbach recreates gleefully. You’re worthy!

As for how She Beats was sculpted, “we wanted to make a heavy record. Maybe because we have three guitars the possibilities are there. What came out of the process was a mysterious sounding record. Melodies emerge out of the music with counter melodies. Working with Michael Rother on Granite Snake was amazing. He’s from Neu. He was in Melbourne on tour and got in touch with us. He asked us how we were going with the next album asked if he could play on a song. That was amazing. We took some photos, Michael Rother was in the studio!” Sellbach sputters.

Rother played on Distance too. Here ‘tis.

“The first time he got there and even before listening to the song he set up and started playing along with it and it was sounding amazing, my jaw dropped, this was the man behind so much music I’d found so inspiring. And then we realised the tape wasn’t rolling, Jack (Farley, producer) hadn’t hit record. That take was lost in the ether,” she laments. “He then went on to do something similar on the record, pure improvisation. It was good but not as good as that first take. I’m always gonna know that magical version was out there. Germans are known for their efficiency, he would have thought record would have been pressed. He didn’t look very impressed when we told him.

“When we started out we knew we had a bunch of pop songs. Send Them Away was a pop song but we wanted to make more than a pop record. We wanted to experiment with discordance and improvise,” she says. “We’ve been working on some new material, it’s heavy and danceable and catchy.”

Beaches did a bang-up job ridding punters of their hangovers at Meredith Music Festival on Sunday morning just over a month ago and found themselves feeling supernatural afterwards for a few reasons. “It’s always a risk when you play an outdoor venue. You can’t control the sound. All reports suggest we sounded like Beaches out the front and its’ invigorating to know we can play outdoor venues, it ties in with the show on the weekend. I’ve never been to the Sidney Myer Music Bowl but after being cooped up in smelly rock venues we can’t wait to play really loud on a big system outside.”

Beaches also have a show this Saturday night with Unity Floors and Terrible Truths. Can’t you do both? The winner of the 9th Coopers AMP will receive a cool $30,000. It will be announced at the 'Amped Up In Conversation' event co-presented by their partners, PPCA, in Sydney on March 5, invite only. The night before will host the 2nd year of the Pre-AMP party.

Email michael.cahill@news.com.au with the subject heading MILLIONS OF BEACHES, BEACHES FOR ME for your chance to win one of two double passes.

‘Owlin For You Owl Eyes’ 2013 debut album Night Swim didn’t quite capture lightning in the bottle. Recently though she took to the main stage at Falls Festival with Flight Facilities and provided a simulacrum moment for everyone by singing on all of their female collaborative hits. Brooke Addamo did such a good job that the FF boys are taking her to Coachella in April.

Before she zooms over there, Owl Eyes will headline the Great Australian Beer Festival in Geelong at Bellarine Estate and Grand Ridge on February 1, with Tigertown, Kylie Auldist, Murdena, The Kite Machine, Spyndrift, The Evening Cast and Grim Fawkner. SERIOUSLY COOL COMPETITION HERE DOOOOOOOODS: For your chance to win a brewery tour and lunch for four people, eight tickets to the festival and heaps of other stuff valued at nearly a grand, email michael.cahill@news.com.au with the subject heading OWLIN' FOR YOU

A Jones for The Drones Good things come out of bad things. “We’re calling it the Harvest Sorry Package,” says Dan Luscombe, the guy who looks like a ‘50s film star who found a DeLorean and transported himself to 2007, then joined The Drones and helped them become Australia’s most visceral, ferocious live rock band. The Drones are playing Big Day Out. This is a good thing. “CSS, Primus and us were going to play Harvest. We’re the package. I’m glad we got something, we were mildly financially devastated when Harvest got cancelled. The Big Day Out booking meant we didn’t have to get jobs at 7-Eleven dishing out Slurpees during heatwaves,” he quips. Luscombe has one BDO gripe though.

The set times are out and The Drones are pitted against another band who they would prefer to treat as peers not adversaries. “I don’t know who the genius was that put us and Tame Impala on at the same time. Two bands that started in WA that play heavy psych music,” Luscombe points out. ”But we love the Big Day Out, there’s great catering, you give them your equipment and they set everything up for you. A lot of really interesting stuff happens in the catering tent. I’m going to be munching away on my potato salad talking to Snoop Dogg about something while Liam Gallagher will be cracking the sh--- about the curry.”

The Drones now have six albums to call upon, a set of deadly arrows tucked into their quiver. “As long as it’s not 44 degrees it should be fun. I wanna see Mudhoney and the Psychos play,” he says. So what will the five-piece fling at us around 2pm? “They’ve got us pinned down for 45 minute sets so it’s our Greatest Hits package — Hits and Memories if you will.” It may not be the most rocking “festival” type jam but please tell us you’re playing How To See Through Fog, the second song from I See Seaweed, a piano-sprinkled demure jazz cut that shows off new addition Steve Hesketh’s sharp keystrokes. “We’ll play that second, I can tell you that,” Luscombe says before naming Shark Fin Blues, too.

What next then, good sir? It’s usually about a two-year gap between Drones opuses (opai?). The next one will come a little sooner though, yes? “We’re gonna start another record, basically. It’d be great to have one out towards the end of this year. That’s the plan. We did our long hiatus. We realised hiatus don’t pay,” he says, coining a phrase that deserves to be in the Urban Dictionary. Luscombe switches focus back to the matter at hand though: playing and hopefully slaying Big Day Out audiences at a time when the ol’ festival really needs a win.

“It’s just a shame we can’t bring our artificial nightmaker,” he says, adding “Playing during the daytime is a bit rough,”

Ben And Band Back Dreamboat intellect Ben Birchall got the old band, Klinger, back together after finding their “lost” Shooting For the Chorus album. See them launch that sucker at the No-So with sparkly newbies Them Swoops and fellow cult favourites Mrs Pinkwhistle reforming for one show only.

Shiny Happy People Somnambulant art rock band Snakadaktal play their first show of 2014 this weekend as they bring The Sun II EP to the world. It contains new jam East Of Here and remixes by Hayden James, Kilter and UK outfit Just Kiddin. Support from Kilter, Chiefs and Rat & Co.

This meditative, Café-Del-Mar-sans-weary-pretention rerub of Fall Underneath by Kilter has received plenty of acclaim and for good reason.

Fundraising Is Punk The fourth annual Oz Day Fundraiser concert is on at The Reverence with all proceeds donated to Oxfam and The Refugee Council. See Luca Brasi (Tasmania), Damn Terran, Batpiss, Anchors, Outright, The Sinking Teeth, Lincoln Le Fevre, Darren Gibson, The Union Pacific and more. Will be a cracking day, don’t crack your neck in the mosh though. Crack on. It's 20 one day, $30 for weekend pass.

THREE MUST-SEE GIGSDallas Crane & Chris Russell’s Chicken Walk Dave Larkin has awoken the beast. Dallas Crane’s been hibernating, mulling over thoughts on how to rock and/or roll and since October when Mercury was in retrograde Larko’s been leading his charges into battle, armed to the teeth. Next opponent: Mr Russell. You chicken, Chris?

Triple J Hottest 100 Party Unearthed from the Apple Isle, Asta is as crisp and welcoming as a Pink Lady, just check that frock! She and her band are playing with World’s End Press, Willow Beats, Client Liaison, Papa vs Pretty, Drunk Mums and Bad//Dreems, Gold Fields are doing a DJ set. An excellent Sunday arvo choice.

Andrew Weatherall So you think you can dance? I have no doubt you’re good, I especially like the knee-wobble, elbow-thrust move you’ve been perfecting but it means nothing unless you can perform tomorrow. The chameleon of underground UK dance Mr Weatherall plays the first Selectors party. Cut a rug.

Hels(inki) Yeah Looking further ahead, Architecture In Helsinki are ready to press the button and reactivate. They’ll release their new album NOW + 4EVA on Friday March 28. The album will be released on the band’s own imprint, Casual Workout, via Inertia. It’s going to be a colourful affair, described as running the gamut from “Deep Blue thru Yellow magic to Pink Pop confection.”

The album was co-produced by the band and ol’ mate Francois Tetaz and mixed in Los Angeles and Montreal by Tetaz and Damian Taylor (Bjork , The Killers and Arcade Fire.) They’ll embark on a tour, supported by World’s End Press. Hmmm, shouldn’t it be the other way around?

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